Review: "The Denim Diaries" by Laurie Boyle Crompton

The Denim Diaries by Laurie Boyle Crompton
Published November 2023 via Zest Books
★★★

The Denim Diaries makes for a coming-of-age story in verse and in sketches, ranging from small-town Pennsylvania to the hustle and bustle of New York in the 70s and 80s. Between a discordant home life and body dissatisfaction, she had more than enough to deal with, and she chronicles years of ups and downs, fitting herself into the skintight-have-to-be-done-up-with-a-clothes-hanger jeans of the pre-stretchy sort, seeing her mother struggle to keep the family afloat while her father's alcoholism ebbed and (mostly) flowed, and on it goes.

The book covers a fairly extended time period—this isn't a story that can be wrapped up simply in a few months or a year; rather, Crompton describes a very up-and-down journey that took a long time to settle. For the most part it manages to avoid feeling repetitive, and generally speaking I much appreciate books that show the longer haul of struggle—better that than an emphasis on the difficulty and then a skip to the end, everything's fine now.

The sketches are more than an afterthought here: perhaps half of the pages include quick drawings similar to the ones on the cover. They don't expand on the details in the text, but they give the book a distinct flavor and texture, and although the style isn't usually one that I'm drawn to, I found myself looking forward to seeing what parts would be illustrated. Although the text is appropriate for both adults and teens, I can also see the drawings adding to the appeal for a teen audience in particular.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.